Heart of Darkness
by May the rain be damned
Summary: Yukio is at the end of his rope after Rin nearly kills himself in a mission, and while Rin battles with his demon blood, Yukio finds he has his own demons to deal with. Yukio/Rin. Slash content, incest, work in progress.
1. God Save Me

A/N at the end of the chapter.

Warnings: Glorious debauchery of the slash nature.

Summary: Yukio is at the end of his rope after Rin nearly kills himself in a mission, and while Rin battles with his demon blood, Yukio finds he has his own demons to deal with. Okumura Yukio x Okumura Rin. Slash content, incest, work in progress.

"Heart of Darkness"

"Rin…" Rin thought he didn't dream anymore. And it was true in a sense; he didn't see or hear or smell in his sleep, couldn't taste or feel. This was precisely the reason why he was almost stunned to tears when his father's voice pierced the black veil of sleep. It was surreal. The voice was merely a murmur at first, growing clearer and louder as he moved towards its direction. Finally, the sound became too much to simply ignore. "Rin!"

"Father!" The black exploded, expanding until everything was white and out of focus. What he saw when his vision came back was the plain gray paneling of the infirmary ward; a sleepy breeze blew in through the slightly cracked window and what he recognized as the first light of dawn, streaming in through the glass and pouring over the tile floor and his clean linen sheets. A well of panic surged in him: Kurikara! Where was it? He struggled to get up, but the intense pain that radiated from his achy chest demanded that he cease and lay down.

"Relax, brother. It's right here," Yukio tapped the sheathed sword in his lap, as though he could read thoughts. He smiled slightly as his brother visibly calmed, though he couldn't say the same for himself. Rin was so reckless and one of these days he would either get himself or someone else killed; it angered him, of course, but he also tried to understand his brother. Sometimes he blamed himself for not keeping a watchful eye on Rin, sometimes he blamed his father for spoiling him as a child, sometimes he attributed Rin's terrible attitude to Satan, but he could see now it wasn't an issue of blame. It was, simply enough, Rin that was the problem. Yukio was on the last straw; he truly didn't know how to make his brother understand the responsibilities and burdens of being an Exorcist and that he couldn't just go around charging into demons like he had last night. He sighed, placing Kurikara on the bed, "Rin, when you get better, we need to talk, alright?"

"I feel alright now…" He winced and tried to sit up, before Yukio gently pressed his shoulders back into the sheets.

"You're not alright, you lost a lot of blood last night," Yukio said as calmly as possible, his clenched fists hidden behind his back.

Predictably, Rin snorted and inched himself upright again, "I said I was fine! I heal fast and all that…" His voice trailed off when his noticed Yukio's face, "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," he replied, his quiet, conserved answer betrayed the irritation that flickered briefly upon his features, "Which is why I'll talk to you later. Just stay in bed for now." Yukio ignored the ensuring protests, closing the infirmary door behind him. The ward was quiet at this time of day, the patients and nurses alike slept. He glanced down at his watch. Five 'o clock already… with a grim face, he realized he had been up all day yesterday on the mission with Rin and then all night watching and tending to his wounds. Massaging his eyes, he slumped down on a bench, feeling drained and exhausted. Sleep, he thought dreamily, curling up in his seat.

He didn't know how long it had been, but judging by the fact the hall was brightly lit and the ward nurses were scurrying back and forth, he guessed it must have been seven or eight 'o clock in the morning now.

"Mreow," Kuro whined, nipping at the hand that dangled over the edge of the bench. It purred contentedly when Yukio scratched it behind the ears, preening and stretching delightfully at the fingers.

At least the cat appreciated him. Willing himself up, Yukio worked out the kinks in his back before standing to knock on Rin's door. Kuro followed at his heels curiously. "Rin, are you up yet?"

"Uh, yeah. Come in," Rin's voice was muffled. Yukio took a deep breath, opened the door, and peered in. The room was still bright, although the blinds had been partially closed, and a tray of food lay discarded by the end of the bed. Good, at least Rin at eaten. Yukio thought he was going to go crazy when his gaze finally landed on Rin, who seemed to be gingerly putting his clothes on. It was obvious to anyone that the demon boy was hurt, his countenance screwing up in pain every time his hand brushed a tender spot. But despite that, Rin kept trying to tug his t-shirt on, struggling futilely with the sleeves.

"Rin," he said sharply, "I said you needed to stay in bed. You'll rip your stitches like that." He closed the door behind him and moved to where his brother's face was still obscured by the clothing. Yukio ripped the shirt away from him, eyes hard, "Why won't you just listen to me? I'm telling you this because I care."

Rin blinked at him, confused, "I can't stay like this knowing the bastard ghoul that did this to me is – "

"Listen to me," Yukio hissed and snatched the pair of pants that Rin was reaching for, "Demon or not, your lungs almost collapsed. If you exert yourself, you ar_e going to die_. Do you understand, Rin?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child!"

"Then quit acting like one."

"I'm not - don't tell me what I am!"

"Rin," he sighed, "even you don't know what you are. Half the time, you don't even know what to do with simple class assignments. So please, just lay down for a bit!"

"Don't tell me what to do, you're not my father!" Rin snapped heatedly, but he immediately regretted his words. Yukio stared at him, his gaze cold and his jaw set stiff. Kuro cowered, slinking away to the window. He was just so angry; his brother always treated him like he was stupid or simple, like he was a child to be watched over even though _he_ was the older of the two. Sometimes he wished it were the old days when it was him protecting Yukio and not the other way around. But it was also wrong of him to bring up their father. Rin knew it was an especially sore spot for Yukio, not to mention for himself, "Sorry, look, I just – "

"No, it's fine," Yukio calmly folded the slacks and put them neatly on the drawer by the bed, "You're right. I'm not our father, because our father isn't here anymore. And you know what? He would be rolling over in his grave right now if he knew you were throwing yourself idiotically into danger all the time. Do you know…" he said, aggravated, "… exactly the lengths he went to just to protect you?"

The regret turned into blinding anger instantly. How dare Yukio try to guilt him? "Then go away! I never asked you to help me, Yukio. I know he protected me, but he's gone now, so I have to protect myself. If you feel like it's a burden, then just stop – I don't need you!"

_Smack_, the resounding slap echoed off the empty walls. Yukio stood over his brother, shaking with fury. Rin stared at him, features glazed with shock; slowly, he reached a hand up to cradle his cheek. Tears threatened to spill, and he looked away ashamedly. This was the first time in his life that Yukio had hit him. For as long as he had lived, his younger brother was always mild-tempered and kind, but he seemed like a completely different person at the moment.

"Who said it was about me?" He said lowly, "Or even you, brother?" Yukio grasped his chin in a deceptively gentle hold, "It's about dad, who gave almost his entire life, to raise you as a human so that you could be safe. Yet you denied him his dying wish and unsealed Kurikara, then you wanted to be an Exorcist," he jerked Rin closer, "and now you can't even take care of the life that he sacrificed his own to keep alive. You _are_ a burden, Rin – but not to me… to father."

Rin withdrew himself from the touch hastily, silent with uneasiness.

"Oh, Rin? Your bandages need changing. Are you going to do that by yourself too?" Yukio pointed to the wrappings; some had come undone and others were beginning to soak through with blood. Rin clenched his jaw in determination. If his brother thought he was a burden, he would just carry himself. Yukio's voice breached his thoughts a second time, "Then again, I always did this, right? You would just go out and get yourself hurt, and I'd do all the cleaning up. Here…" Yukio reached over to peel away a piece of gauze.

Rin pushed away his hands with ease, "I'll do it myself," he muttered. Yukio only watched smugly as Rin struggled with the cloth, awkwardly trying to pull them off without taking some skin off where the blood had dried the bandage and flesh together. He hissed in pain as he removed a strip of gauze from a particularly tender area. Rin sighed, conceding defeat. "Fine," he said and let his arms rest at his side while his feet dangled awkwardly off the ground.

Yukio crouched by the bed to survey the wounds. "Some salve will help the bandages come off," he murmured, reaching into the bedside drawer. Rin watched his brother uncap the tin with wary eyes and said nothing when his arms were moved out of the way.

"Maybe I do need him," Rin sulked. He wanted to become an Exorcist so he could shoulder his own burden, but now he was only creating a burden for Yukio. Had he been a burden to his father as well? The demon shivered as Yukio brushed a slippery finger across his nipples. He glanced down at his brother guiltily, but Yukio hadn't noticed anything, so he quickly looked away towards the window to keep his blush shadowed. The younger twin continued smoothing salve onto heated skin; Yukio had known since childhood that his brother was attractive. And it was true that if Rin had a better attitude, he would be plenty popular with girls. As for himself, he never truly felt jealous of his brother, but rather he coveted Rin's beauty. It would be him who would protect his older brother – no one else.

"Rin, I'm sorry… about hitting you," Yukio cupped his cheek gently, "I was just really angry and I don't know what came over me. Will you forgive me?"

Rin regarded Yukio silently before pulling him into a warm embrace and grumbled, "Bastard, of course I will. Brothers don't fight brothers. They're family." Yukio smiled; this was how it should be. The demon brother quickly pried himself out of the hug; Yukio was confused and opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but Rin cut him off stiffly, "So yeah, just wrap me up so I can go," he turned his face away from Yukio. The younger brother raised an eyebrow in exasperation, but did as he was told. Rin let out the shaky sigh he was holding; it was a bad idea to hug Yukio… his brother's warm breath on his bare shoulders, the way he was pressed up to Rin's belly sent heat to his groin (and the rest basically went to his face). What the hell am I? A sick freak? A sick _incestuous_ freak, his mind concluded unhelpfully. It was definitely something taboo in his household, even if he and Fujimoto played a little fast and loose with Catholicism, and_ especially_ taboo because they never spoke about it. He concluded there had to be a reason why it was never brought up, even in his religious studies.

Relax, he told himself. It was probably a biological thing; everything at this age was supposed to give him a hard-on at the drop of a pin, right? Rin gaped as Yukio moved almost on top of him to reach the roll of bandages on the bed behind him. Crap, _please_ don't feel that. Please do not feel – his mind reeled in panic as Yukio froze against him.

"Ah, got it," Yukio withdrew cheerfully, holding up the gauze. Rin blinked, relief flooding his tensed muscles. He dodged the bullet on that one.

With the bandages secured tightly around his chest, he could finally breathe again. It drove him crazy every time his brother touched his skin, and he didn't even know when this feeling started. "Thanks," he said, smiling softly.

"That's what brothers are for, right? Look, about the ghoul, I promise you that as soon as you're better, we'll track him down," Yukio patted him on the head, "And then you can 'kick his ass', alright? Until you're better, please don't strain yourself."

"Yeah, yeah - I got it," Rin slid the covers away, "But when can I leave this place? Gives me the fucking creeps."

Yukio paused at the door, "You could come back to our dorm room now," he looked at the watch on his wrist, "If you want, I can help you there now, but we need to hurry. I have classes soon."

"Sure," he began to push the covers back but realized the thin cotton infirmary pants he was wearing would most definitely make an erection obvious, especially now that he would be upright and walking, "Er…"

"What's wrong, brother?" he asked impatiently. Oh, Yukio knew what was wrong. He knew _exactly_ what was wrong, and he had known it for a while. He had his doubts at first, but it all made sense when he thought about it. Rin didn't have many other friends, and except for the few that accepted him here, Yukio was his brother's only true friend, so to speak. Yukio loved his brother and wanted to protect him, but sometimes Rin drove him crazy… and while at first he rejected the thought, it didn't seem like such a bad idea after his outburst. There were, the thoughts went, certainly other ways Yukio could 'punish' him for misbehavior without ever having to lay a hand on him again. It was sort of satisfying, as haltingly as he would admit it, to see his regularly stubborn older brother squirm uncomfortably, but he didn't want to be schadenfreude about the whole deal either. Wrath was one of the seven deadly sins, he reminded himself. Then again, hadn't Rin already fallen to lust? He watched with carefully concealed amusement; Rin tried to get up with the blanket in his lap and his face was completely flushed as he grabbed Kurikara.

"I mean it. Thanks," Rin said quietly, almost too quiet to hear. Yukio hummed in approval held out a steady hand, which he took gratefully. Besides the huge gash across his chest, the rest of him was littered with small (but painful) scratches and bruises from the tumble he took through some brush after the ghoul had flung him back. It wasn't a long trek from the infirmary to their rooms, thankfully enough, and though it was almost time for classes to begin, the quad was relatively quiet save for the twittering of some birds.

Yukio helped his brother to his bunk, "If you need anything, just call me," he handed Rin his phone, which had miraculously survived their mountain trip _and_ the ghoul attack. He turned to put the lights out, scanning the bed with a sense of finality. At last, he could finally rest easy. As he closed the door to their dorm room, a loud 'ahem' brought his attention to the slender woman leaning by the frame.

"Yukio, is he…?" she trailed off. Besides the worrying glint in her eyes, she seemed to be exactly as she was before they'd left.

"He's fine for now. Thank you for your concern," he answered amiably, though within, he felt tired and irritated – he just wanted to start class on some bookwork and perhaps slip away for a bit to nap. Speaking of classes… "Don't you have class now,_ Professor_ Shura?" He enunciated the title for extra measure.

"Huh… yeah, yer right," she scratched her head sheepishly, "I just wanted to pop in on Rin really quick…"

"Shall I walk you then?"

Shura shrugged, "Yeah, sure."

Their conversation died down as they reached the quiet sanctuary that was True Cross Academy, whose halls were devoid of any students, as they most probably would've waited in their classroom seats. Shura stopped in front of an ornate heavy oak door, which Yukio observed must be her class. She ruffled his hair lightly, without the usual energy, "Remember what I said about hiding your true feelings? Bottling them up will just hurt you, so if you need to talk…"

"I know," he said flatly, "Trust me, I know." She looked at him mournfully again before slipping inside. Yukio started class without incident, the students apparently not involved enough to ask about Rin, but throughout the day, he couldn't help but keep a hand over his heart like somehow his hand would keep the darkness away.

Most people didn't know or remember how a demon possessed them, because demons, like darkness crept up on humans like a shadow, absorbing space in the heart until finally it had the strength to take the entire body. It was nearly impossible to predict that a demon was planning to possess, and the only indication would be _darkness_, a blanket word for human feelings like regret or hate or sorrow that allowed demons to come to Assiah. The more introverted, the more morose, the more a person holds themselves back, the more those feelings dig into their soul, leaving deep gouges for darkness to fill in. And Yukio knew this. He knew this better than anyone, because he struggled with it more than anyone.

"I hit Rin," he admitted bitterly, "But far worse than that? I almost planned to exploit his… feelings for me." He sunk into his seat, smiling pleasantly at the class, but in his head, he could only chant, "God save me…"

A/N: I'd really love to see this series flourish more than anything! I think Yukio is really good at hiding his emotions, so the reason why he seemed so nice to Rin after their fight was really just him covering up his frustration. (Wouldn't you be frustrated too with a stubborn brother like Rin?) It's rated mature because things will escalate in later chapters; I just feel that to keep the two as in-character as possible, there's some building to do... as much as I love PWPs. What I'm feeling with this story right now is something more Yukio-centric; the "Heart of Darkness" title is a reference to him. Anyways, reviews are truly encouraging, so please don't hesitant to critique or comment.


	2. Seven Deadly Sins

A/N: I want so badly for this to be porny, but I want to have a serious story at the same time. Please bear with the plot back story for now! (I know I am.)

"Heart of Darkness"

Rin continued to scowl, long after the light in the hall thinned to a mere sliver and then finally darkness as Yukio closed the door behind him. His attention was drawn by the low, dull murmur outside – undoubtedly some conversation with Yukio (about himself, he would've liked to imagine). His ears strained to pick up words – "Professor", "Rin" – his concentration began to wane as he realized Yukio and friend were beginning to leave, their footsteps growing quieter and quieter as they left down the hall.

He waited until it was completely clear to pick up his uniform, dressing as quick as someone swathed in ten different layers of bandages could. The cuts still hurt every time he moved the wrong way, but now that they were stitched up, he didn't run the risk of opening his wounds anymore.

Besides, he consoled himself; both of them knew there was absolutely no way Rin could stay still in bed, even when he was sleeping. There were plenty of times in their childhood where Rin found himself on the floor of their bedroom; it had puzzled him quite a bit since he slept on the top bunk. Yukio, bless his heart, had offered to switch beds with him, fearing Rin could hurt himself sleep-rolling.

He shifted slowly to glance at the clock on his desk: nine in the morning. Yukio would be busy with classes until at least four o'clock (he usually stayed later to run tutoring sessions), and that left Rin with plenty of time to himself.

Rin tucked his tail into his shirt, skipping the tie altogether, and threw his blazer over his shoulder in a hurry, "Ah, crap. Where did my keys go?" He frowned, digging into his pants, fingers fishing for the familiar ring of keys. Rin's frown only deepened as he realized they weren't there. In fact, he looked around the room, they weren't anywhere. "That damn four-eyes must've taken it," he grumbled, "I'm gonna have to take the long way…"

The door to Mephisto's office creaked in protest as Rin slammed it shut, though both paid it no heed. Kurikara swung against him, brushing the tips of his hair as he stopped in front of the wide mahogany desk. Mephisto seemed to sense he was coming, because he already had some confectionaries out.

"Okumura," he drawled, eyes glittering, "come, sit down. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Rin did as he was asked, settling down into one of the cushioned armchairs, "You know why I'm here – I want to know what went wrong." He distinctly remembered the hike up the mountainside, especially since Yukio had to wake him up so early so they wouldn't be caught up there at night. They _were_ caught up there at night, obviously, since he was attacked a little after evening time. After that, he couldn't think of much, except that the monster that had attacked him as most likely a ghoul. It looked like a mountain lion, slightly larger, which he initially had attributed to bloating; the fur was patchy in some places and the muscle had begun to liquefy in some areas where the decomposition was particularly bad. Rin wondered, exactly how did Yukio get them back to the academy so fast? Where did the ghoul go?

He would've asked his brother had he not immediately gotten into a fight with him. (Rin also got something else he would rather not think about.)

"Tell me, did you read any of the briefs before going out?" Mephisto smiled, crossing his arms.

"Um," Rin looked around sheepishly, "No."

"I'm sure Fujimoto has got you familiar with the seven deadly sins, yes?"

"Er," he paused, "Yeah."

"And?"

He had to think about it, "Well, there's greed, gluttony, vanity, wrath, envy, lust, and…"

"Sloth," the headmaster corrected, "Good, you know them." He waved his hands animatedly as he began to speak, "You see, Rin, for as long as humanity has existed, there were temptations, and –"

"Just cut the crap," Rin interrupted, "What do they have to do with the mission?"

Mephisto held three fingers up. "Three."

Rin blinked at them. Once. Twice. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You would have understood if you had listened to the introduction," he shot Rin a pointed look, "The three strongest sins, the three basest of sins on which human nature lies. They are the most basic, most carnal of the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, and lust. Are you familiar with Dante's Inferno?"

"Yeah, the nine circles of Hell or whatever."

"The leopard, the lion, and the she-wolf each represent a sin; the leopard – lust, the she-wolf – greed, and the lion…"

"Pride," Rin finished quietly, "Then Yukio and I were… fighting a sin?"

"Sin, like humans, cannot simply be eradicated," Mephisto replied cryptically. Rin frowned; what was he thinking? Did Mephisto honestly think Yukio and him could defeat a _sin_? Wasn't it kind of, oh, he didn't know, _really strong_? "However," the man continued seriously, "we may slay physical manifestations of it when they appear, since if these types of demons are left to their own devices, they may affect the people living near it. They'll come back – they always do, but not for a while."

"So the village nearby would've been affected… by what? Pride?" Rin scoffed, "They all start flexing in front of each other or something?"

"Perhaps at first! It starts out small, and eventually turns the people against each other – feuds and things like that," the headmaster waved. Rin froze. He hadn't considered it much until Mephisto had explained it, but had Rin been exceptionally difficult with his brother this morning because he came into contact with Pride?

Mephisto, as though sensing Rin's thoughts, smiled gently, "Don't worry. While the effects are… a little uncomfortable, they're not permanent and they're not too extreme either. In fact, once the sin is slain, the influence it has immediately dissipates."

"What the hell?" Rin slammed his fists onto the table, "You knew this would happen –"

"Yes, I did," Mephisto said, almost smugly.

" – and you still sent us! That's dangerous! Why didn't you tell me?" Or at least, he thought, wards and charms that could have been prepared.

"You didn't ask!" he sing-songed. Rin stared at him, trying to see whether or not the man was serious. "But if you want to know, our branch is being dispatched to kill all three, two of which have been located in Japan."

Rin breathed a small sigh of annoyance.

"Yup, all three," Mephisto continued cheerily, "You should be glad for this kind of field training, actually – it's not something usually entrusted to an exwire. You two should have nothing to worry about – that is, if you're worried about the effects – if you kill them quickly."

Rin mumbled something unintelligible in reply, not at all relieved. It was true that he had been tagging along with Yukio, seeking 'hands-on' experience. It was also probably true that if he wasn't aware of the effects, he'd be excited.

"Hmmm? Is it too much for you then?" the headmaster grinned, "Perhaps you would prefer to pick medicinal poppies with the other exwires?"

"No!" As quickly as those uneasy thoughts came, they went; this kind of work was the break he'd been catching since he came to True Cross. Rin had no doubts if these missions were successful, he would be allowed to rank up. Whatever strange feelings he had this morning was merely a fluke, just a mix of bad medication and drowsiness. He took a breath, "I can do it - leave 'em to me." Though he had to smile sheepishly as he remembered his wounds, "I just need Yukio to get off my back. I'm not even hurt that bad…" Mephisto raised a curious eyebrow, but otherwise said nothing. "So what's next?"

"Well," the man started, observing Rin carefully, "because Pride has not been relocated since –" here the headmaster nodded in his direction, "– you will head on to Greed." Mephisto pulled some papers out of his desk, handing them to Rin. "It has been spotted several times by our scouts near Mount Fuji –"

"That's a huge area!"

"- in Aokigahara."

"… the Suicide Forest..? Why would Greed be there?"

"With the economic downturn recently, Greed has definitely gotten a foothold here in Assiah. It wouldn't be too suspicious with the rise in suicides, but there's been a sharp increase in locals dying as well."

"Right…" The pieces started to fall into place, "So something must be affecting them."

"Thank you, Okumura, for your valuable insight," Mephisto chuckled. Rin grunted, not amused. "Yes, there is something. Locals have been warned from childhood to stay clear of the forest, yet recently, concupiscent villagers have decided to mine for iron ore. There are, as you may know, large deposits both on the floor and in the various caves on the outcrops of the woods."

"And before they could reach it…" he contemplated excitedly, "Something reached them."

A hesitant knock drew their attention to the door, however. An airy female voice filtered through, "Headmaster Pheles?"

"Ah, Asuka darling," he brightened and to Rin, "Sorry, I've got an appointment. Perhaps another time." The boy stood up, straightening his clothes. He looked thoughtful, which was a rare look; it suited him, Mephisto observed. He looked more like his brother this way. "Rin, remember that a good exorcist won't hide his emotions. The sins will only exploit them to hurt you," he met Rin's wandering gaze, "They'll play on that which you seek to hide most."

As Rin exited the office edifice, those words haunted him. "That which I seek to hide most," Rin swallowed. Those were the sort of foreboding words that signaled some great emotional upheaval in all the manga he's read and needless to say, that was the last thing he wanted at the moment. Rin ran a hand through his hair; there was still some time left before the square would be crowded by students eating lunch, so it was a good a time as any to get sunshine. He sat down on a nearby bench, expression screwed in apprehension.

"I can't keep thinking about this," he groaned, tossing his head back. Rin sat there, focusing on the flowers and the cobblestone and the pretty buildings, but all of his thoughts eventually gravitated to Yukio. In fiction (especially shoujo, which he had unknowingly read before, because really – some of the cover art didn't even look remotely romantic), unrequited love is usually confessed abruptly and loudly, usually after some great misunderstanding. Was his love unrequited? Was he misunderstood?

"No way," he muttered unhappily, "That's retarded to the nth degree."

"What is?"

Rin glanced up, partly because of the shadow looming over him, and partly because the voice startled him, "Oh, hey Eyebrows."

"Don't – urgh," Izumo threw her hands up in defeat, "Nevermind; why are you out here?"

"Why are_ you_?"

"If you have to know," she started smugly, "I was chose – "

"Yeah, nevermind. It doesn't matter," Rin said flatly. Izumo frowned, but sat down beside him at a distance. She didn't look particularly different, though her usual ponytails were hiked up, pinned together by a fancy clip.

"Relationship problems, huh?" she smirked, chin in hands. "Don't ask me how I know," she shrugged when Rin opened his mouth questioningly, "Call it a girl's intuition or whatever."

The demon slumped in defeat, "Yeah, sort of… say, Izumo. What if there's this person I like, but they don't feel the same… and there's no way I can confess…"

"Well first, why not? And second, how do you know until you've tried? But thirdly, I'd understand why they wouldn't feel the same towards _you_," she crossed her arms.

"First? They're… out of my league. Second, I just know. And third, go to hell," Rin grumbled. Izumo stood up and straightened her skirt, probably preparing to go back to class. Izumo was mean-spirited and holier-than-thou most of the time, but she could be compassionate when she wanted to.

"Rin, I would just go for it, but if you're spineless or whatever, you can just suffer," she waved dismissively, then paused, "But if it's you, you'll probably improvise or do something reckless, because that's what you do all the time."

Rin stared at his palms as she left; that was the nicest thing she'd ever said to him since he came to True Cross, even if it was disguised as an insult. "Crap, it's almost noon," if any of the students caught him, it might as well be Yukio catching him, "I'll be in deep trouble..." It wasn't as though he didn't want to stay outside and continue to mope around in the sunlight, but when he weighed the consequences, going back to his room seemed the more comfortable option. After all, Yukio was damn scary when he wanted to be. Rin rubbed his cheek absentmindedly, still puzzled. His brother had never raised his hand against Rin, ever.

He tried as hard as he could to remember if he had felt any different that morning; what Mephisto had revealed to him earlier was troubling to say the least.

"I guess if Yukio won't let me out, I'll just find something to do inside," Rin said loudly, shrugging his jacket off. Their room was still exceptionally dark for noontime, so he shoved the curtains aside to let some warmth in. Kuro, who had been sleeping on the bed, welcomed this new source of heat, curling up at the windowsill. "Maybe I'll make lunch then?" he asked no one in particular, scratching Kuro behind the ears. The cat replied with a soft purr.

'For me?' he asked, twin tails waving lazily about.

Rin laughed, stepping away to wash his hands in preparation, "Sure, Kuro – what do you want?" The demon cat contemplated this, silent in thought. There weren't any towels, Rin realized as he searched; they were all in the laundry at the moment. Usually they would have finished drying by now, but both of them had (justifiably) forgotten to hang them up that morning. Sighing, he grabbed one of Yukio's shirts off the top of the laundry basket; it was dirty anyways, he reasoned.

As he brought it up, no doubt ready to wipe the water running down his neck, he stopped mid-raise. "Woah," Rin muttered. He gingerly lifted the shirt to his nose, sniffing it. There was a fragrance that permeated the cloth: the heady scent of his brother, which he couldn't quite place. It was deep and pleasant and made him dizzy and left him with an ache. He ran the soft fabric over his cheeks, relishing the way it bunched between his fingers. With his other hand, he ran a hand down his stomach, a nail catching neatly on his navel.

Rin groaned into the shirt and imagined it was Yukio. He imagined it was Yukio who was pressed up against him like he was that morning, deft fingers ghosting over his bare skin, slick and gliding.

Rin shuddered with guilt, "Crap…" _Just this once and I'll never think about it again._ With a quick peek outside to make sure Kuro was busy, he inhaled the intoxicating scent again, this time slipping a hand under his loosening bandages to get some of the salve over his fingers. Somewhere in the back of his lust hazed mind, he realized the deep slash across his chest had already healed quite nicely. The raised gash was now merely a thin line, and there was no doubt the entire thing would disappear in the next hour. He closed his eyes, slumping against the door with a shaky sigh as those sticky fingers left a wet trail down his abdomen.

"I want salmon!"

Rin had never jumped so high in his life.


End file.
